Strong British presence at Milano-Sanremo, but can anyone replicate Mark Cavendish’s victory?
Cycling
As the 2025 cycling season finally rolls into Monument
territory with Milano-Sanremo this weekend, there’s a quietly impressive
British contingent set to take the start line. While none of them are
considered outright favourites for victory, several are poised to play key
roles for their teams, and perhaps one or two might just spring a surprise.
Bahrain Victorious will once again look to Fred Wright, a
rider whose attacking instincts and classics pedigree have steadily built his
reputation as one of Britain’s brightest hopes in one-day races. Wright’s
ability to read chaotic finales and dig deep in long races makes him a
potential outsider if the race comes back together over the Poggio.
EF Education–EasyPost field Max Walker, still in the early
stages of his professional career. For Walker, this is less about fighting for
the win and more about gaining valuable experience in the brutal, unpredictable
theatre of Sanremo.
Groupama – FDJ’s Lewis Askey continues to establish himself
as a dependable engine in support of leaders, but he also has a punchy kick and
tactical awareness. If the team’s designated sprinters falter, Askey could be
given freedom to chase a result of his own.
INEOS Grenadiers, as ever, bring one of the strongest and
most experienced British blocks to the race. Geraint Thomas returns to
Milano-Sanremo for the final time as part of a squad that also includes Connor
Swift, Ben Turner, and Ben Swift. While Thomas is unlikely to feature in the
final sprint, his presence is more a symbolic one in the twilight of his career.
Israel–Premier Tech field Jake Stewart, who showed great
promise in his early years and continues to grow into a capable one-day
specialist. For Stewart, Sanremo is a golden opportunity to test himself
against the world’s best in one of the sport’s most nuanced races.
Mark Donovan lines up for Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, likely
tasked with supporting roles but capable of holding his own on the climbs. He,
of course, will be riding in support of Tom Pidcock who is the strongest
British contender of them all, but can he really breakaway from Pogacar or Van
der Poel?
Mark Stewart, racing for Team Solution Tech – Vini Fantini,
brings plenty of ambition to the first Monument of the season. Team Picnic
PostNL will have both Sean Flynn and Bjoern Koerdt on the start line. For
Flynn, a rider who has spent the last couple of years quietly developing,
Sanremo could be a major learning curve.
Meanwhile, Team Visma | Lease a Bike bring two more British
talents. Daniel McLay will be among the team’s sprinting options should a
larger group reach the finish, while Ben Tulett could play a deeper role in
climbing support or tactical cover across the Cipressa and Poggio.
In total, it’s a healthy spread of British riders, some
seasoned pros, others fresh-faced and learning, each contributing to their
teams’ ambitions in different ways. While none of them head into the race as
top-tier contenders (Pidcock fans may disagree with that), Milano-Sanremo has a
history of producing the unexpected.
Only twice has a British rider claimed victory at La
Classicissima. Tom Simpson etched his name into cycling history with a win back
in 1964. It would take 45 years before the next, none other than Mark Cavendish,
who sprinted to victory in 2009 with one of the most iconic finishes of his
career. Since then, British riders have threatened but never quite finished the
job.
Could 2025 break that streak? It’s a long shot, but in a
race like Milano-Sanremo, where the final 10 kilometres often turn the script
on its head, nothing is truly off the table.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment